Reviews
Beethoven - Symphony No.9 'Choral'
Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen
Royal Festival Hall, London, 27 September 2012
The performance only came fully to life in the vocal sections, thanks to the powerful, lusty singing of the Philharmonia Chorus, superbly trained by Stefan Bevier. Full-blooded and full-toned, the choristers provided the dynamism that had hitherto been lacking.
Graham Rogers, www.classicalsource.com
In the finale, the warm-throated Philharmonia Chorus stood rock-solid.
Geoff Brown, The Times
Elgar - The Dream of Gerontius
Hamburg Symphony Orchestra conducted by Jeffrey Tate
Laeiszhalle, Hamburg, 16 September 2012
The 120 singers of the Philharmonia Chorus from London in which Tate himself sang as a young man, were capable of arousing goose pimples, not least by way of a magically quiet yet voluminous pianissimo, which one can usually only experience and hear from the very best professional choirs.
Marcus Stäbler, Hamburger Abendblatt
In some of the more restrained moments the Philharmonia Chorus produced the transparency and delicacy of a chamber choir; in the second part, where the really dramatic climaxes of the work are to be found, the chorus came through with a force that pierced bone and marrow.
Die Welt
Mahler - Symphony No.2 'Resurrection"
Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen
The Anvil, Basingstoke, 22 June 2012
The chorus stood at the moment of greatest crisis as if appalled to survey the ensuing desolation before, almost beyond audible range, delivering its first, redemptive "Aufersteh'n"; this 'Resurrection' was a divine revelation.
Peter Reed, www.classicalsource.com
He could rely on ...... both vigorous and subtle singing from the Philharmonia Chorus.
George Hall, The Guardian
Elgar - The Apostles
BBC Concert Orchestra conducted by Stephen Cleobury
Chapel of KIng's College, Cambridge, 7 April 2012
We heard the best of the acoustic during Elgar's big climaxes, spendidly burnished with choral ecstasy.
Geoff Brown, The Times
Britten - War Requiem
Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Lorin Maazel
Royal Festival Hall, London, 25 March 2012
This controlled approach gave the Philharmonia Chorus ample opportunity to demonstrate their tonal flexibility and virtuosity, and passages such as the sudden transition from the Dies Irae to the long lines of the Lachrymosa, the dynamic articulation of the Offertorium with its machine-gun consonants, were impressively handled It closed with a radiant, impossibly well-tuned major chord from the choir.
Alexandra Coghlan, www.theartsdesk.com
The Philharmonia Chorus under Stefan Bevier produced a tremendous sound, the murmuring multitude of 'Pleni sunt coeli' and the astonishing long-held final 'Amen' being especially high points.
Melanie Eskenazi, www.musicomh.com